Brush element



Dec. 13, 1960 B. E. NELSON BRUSH ELEMENT Filed April 9, 1958 INVENTOR.

BROOKS E. NELSON @JMW/#XM ATTORNEYS j essere@ Patented Dee. i3, i950Fice BRUSH ELEMENT Brooks E. Nelson, Chagrin Falls, Chio, assignor toThe Osborn Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of OhioFiled Apr. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 727,461

17 Claims. (Cl. 15-182) This invention relates as indicated to a novelbrush element, and more particularly to an improved form of brush stripadapted for circularization about a relatively small radius andincluding spacing means facilitating the outward ow of air forVentilating and other purposes. This application is acontinuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 452,320,led August 26, 1954, now abandoned.

The brush strip may be of the general type shown and described inPeterson Patent 2,303,386 and may preferably be of the type shown anddescribed in Nelson and Peterson Patent 2,626,414, having transverseteeth extending from one side only of the channelform back to secure theelongated brush material retaining element thereunder. It is well knownto mount annular brush elements, which may be formed of single turns ofbrush strip with the brush material extending generally radiallyoutwardly for example, upon appropriate adapters having arms whichsupport and slightly space apart adjacent brush sections. The radiallyoutward flow of cooling air is facilitated by this arrangement, andadequate ventilation may be obtained. When mounted upon a proper hub,various uids may be fed to the interior thereof before distribution tothe brush face under the influence of centrifugal force. Such uids mayinclude entrained abrasive particles and other media for application tothe Work.

When, however, the brush strip is circularized in the form of a helixcomprising a number of turns, it is apparent that the usual adapters arenot suitable for mounting the same, and such helically wound brushelement will ordinarily be mounted directly upon a corresponding arboror upon a cylindrical hub adapted itself in turn to be mounted upon thearbor. lt is possible to provide longitudinal grooves in the hub surfaceas well aS apertures in the hub so that fluid may be conducted to theinner periphery of the helical brush element. It is, however, necessarythat the adjacent turns of the helix be somewhat spaced apart to permitfurther outward flow of such uid, and in the past it has been known toprovide radial ribs and grooves in the sides ofthe brush strip channelback to facilitate such ow. It has been found, however, that when thebrush strip is circularized, and particularly when it is circularizedabout a relatively small radius, such radial ribs and grooves tend to bestretched out, particularly adjacent the radially outward lips of thechannel sides with the result that such lips of adjacent turns of thebrush back contact each other substantially continuously.

It is accordingly a principal object of my invention to provide animproved brush strip in which the channel back is deformed in a novelmanner to ensure adequate spacing of adjacent turns of `a brush striphelix even when such helix is of relatively small diameter.

Another object is to provide a tear-resistant brush strip channel backhaving teeth punched in from one side only but nevertheless especiallyeffective to secure an elongated brush material retaining elementthereunder.

Other objects of the invention Will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said inventionthen comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexeddrawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of theinvention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the variousways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates somewhat diagrammatically a length of brush strip inaccordance with my invention circularized to form a helix adapted to bemounted upon a cylindrical hub;

Fig. 2 is La transverse section through two adjacent turns of the helixshowing one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a short length of metal tape having teethpunched up therefrom and indentattions formed Itherein prior to shapingto channel form to serve as one embodiment of my brush strip back;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through two adjacent turns of helicallywound brush strip similar to Fig. 2 but showing another embodiment of myinvention;

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary detail views on an enlarged scaleillustrating preferred shapes and proportions of brush strip spacingprotuberances adapted to be deformed in the side of the brush stripchannel back; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse section through brush strip such as thatillustrated in Fig. 2 but having a modied form of tooth. It alsoillustrates employment of a body of plastic resin within the brush stripback further -to assist in securing the brush material therein and inmaintaining the elongated bristle retaining element beneath the teeth.

Referring now more particularly to such drawing, the brush strip of myinvention may comprise a sheet metal channelform back l having teeth 2punched in from one side of the channel back only (Fig. 2) to overliethe elongated retaining element or wire 3 about which the brush material4 is doubled and by which such material is secured in the channel back.The teeth may desirably be of the type disclosed in Peterson Patent2,303,386, being shaped to leave corresponding apertures (such as 5 inFig. 3) in the channel side having their edges adjacent the channel lip6 parallel to such lip. This considerably reduces danger of tearing whenthe brush strip is circularized into helical conformattion as generallyindicated in Fig. l, for example.

Outwardly protruding Irelatively shallow dimples 7 are formed in theother side of the channel back from the teeth 2 to space adjacent turnsof the helically wound brush strip slightly apart :as shown. It Will beappreciated that such protuberances or dimples are equally effective tospace apart adjacent individual turns of the brush strip when the latterare mounted side by side upon an appropriate hub. The protuberances 7will preferably be of the form shown in Fig. 5 or alternatively in theform '7' shown in Fig. 6, being of elongated oval or rectangular formtransversely of the brush strip back 1 and having smoothly roundedcontours to minimize concentrations of stress. Such protuberances resistfurther deformation when the brush strip is circular-ized as shown inFig. l, for example, andare not likely to cause tearing of the channeledge 6 under such circumstances. They are spaced both from the channellip and the channel bottom, but may desirably extend about one-half thewidth of the channel side. When brush strip is circularized, it is, ofcourse, necessary for the channel edges or lips to stretch relative tothe inner periphery of the resultant brush element, and uniformstretching is interfered with if the protuberances are too closelyadjacent the channel lip, By locating such protuberances asindicated,however, slightly closer the channel lip than to the channel bottom,they are etective toV resist the tendency of the channel lips ofadjacent turns of brush strip Vto bear Yagainst each other insubstantially continuous contact.

When the protuberances '1' are utilized in the Fig. 2 form of brushstrip, they will preferably not be directly opposite the teeth 2, butinstead will be staggered relative thereto as indicated in Fig. l.

While I consider the features of my invention to be of particularimportance whenembodied in brush strip of the generale-type shown inFigs. 2 and 7 where teeth project Vinwardly from one -side of thechannel backvonly, such brush strip being especially adapted -forcirctilarization about a relatively small radius, I may on occasion alsoemploy the spacing .protuberances 7 in brush strip of the type.disclosed in Peterson Patent 2,303,386 Vand shown in cross-section inFig. 4. Here, pairs of vteeth 8 and 9 are punched inwardly from oppositesides of ythe channel back to overlie and secure the elongated brushmaterial retaining element 3, and the protuberances 7 are formed in oneside of the ,channel back intermediate adjacent teeth 8. In Fig. 3,there is shown a-s'ection of flat metal strip or rtape from which theteeth 3 and 9 have been struck up and in which the protuberances 7 havebeen formed (in the opposite direction) prior to shaping such tape tochannel form as seen in Fig. 4, for example. It may be noted that in theFig. 3 embodiment the .teeth 8 and 9 are uniformly staggered or oisetand the protuberances 7 are located equidistant between adjacentapertures left in the metal strip by punching up of the teeth 8. Thisarrangement further tends to reduce points of concentration of stresswhen the brush strip is subsequently circularized as shown in Fig. l,for example.

My new brush strip, Whether helically wound to form a plurality ofcontinuous turns or circularized and severed to form individual turns,may be mounted upon a hollow cylindrical sheet metal hub such as l()with adjacent turns slightly spaced apart by the protuberances 7. Sincesuch protuberances are preferably on one side only of the brush stripback, there is no chance of vtwo such protuberances being directlyopposed to one another with consequent uneven spacing of the turns. rThesheet metal hub lt) may be formed with a plurality of longitudinallyextending external grooves 11 having openings such as l2 placing thegrooves in communication with the interioro'i the hub. Other aperturessuch as 13 may be provided in the shell of the cylindrical hub properthrough which fluid may also pass from the interior of the hub to thespaces between the turns of brush strip, such iiuid owing radiallyoutwardly between the slightly spaced apart turns of the chanuelformbrush back under the inuence of centrifugal force. A wide variety ofhollow hubs may be utilized in the general manner indicated to providefor fluid flow, particularly Ventilating air ow, through the brushassembly.

The further modification of my invention illustrated in Fig. 7 resemblesin certain basic aspects the construction of Fig. 2, the teeth 14 beingpunched in from one side only of the channel back with the outwardprotuberances 7 on the other side of the back only. While densely packedbrush material 4 will assist in maintaining retaining wire 3 beneathteeth 2 of the Fig. 2 construction, it is often highly advantageous toprovide a notched or hooked underside of the `tooth 14 to engage andsecure the wire 3 against lateral shifting and possible escape. Suchlateral displacement of the retaining wire 3 may also be guarded againstby providing a suitable elastomeric composition 1S such as neoprenewithin the channel back and filling the latter to an extent at leastsuiiicient to embed the wire 3 as shown in Fig. 7. In somecircumstances, other types of resins or synthetic plastic compositionsmay be preferably employed such as the `epoxy resin compositions, nylon,etc. Such material, of course, also embeds or bonds together portions ofthe brush material within the channel back, further securing the latteragainst withdrawal.

It will be seen from -the foregoing that I have provided novel brushstrip particularly suited for circularization about a relatively smallradius without danger of tearing the edges of the sheet metal channelback and yet ensuring that adjacent turns will be sui'liciently spaced'apart to permit fluid -flow therebetween.Y -The channel back may be ofany suitable sheet material, Vordinarily metal, including steel,stainless steel, aluminum and brass. The brush material may be any suchmaterial known in the art, including horsehair, Tampico fiber, metalwire, cord, plastic lcoated wire, .plastic coated cord, plastic coatedglass ber, and fabric'bul materials, The elongated retaining elernent 3Will `ordinarily be steel wire, vbut may be-of brass -or' other materialdepending on the operating conditions .to be encountered. VIt will beapparent that my new brush strip is readily adapted for manufacture inthe usual manner on continuous automatic machines.

The hollow spacing protuberances 7 and 7" will .preferably be hatcrowned as shown to aord greater area of contact with the opposedchannel side of the adjacent Y turn. At least oneof the outer dimensionsof the spacing protuberances will preferably 4be slightly greater thanthe size of the opening 5 left by a tooth in the channel side, toprevent nesting.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the details described, provided thefeatures stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of suchbe employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

l. In brush strip having an elongated sheet metal channelforrn back, awire retaining element disposed lengthwise within such channel, brushmaterial doubled about said wire and protruding from said back, andteeth punched in from both channel sides closely overlying and securingsaid wire; protuberances projecting outwardly from one channel sideonly, said protuberances being staggered relative to said teeth andspaced both from the bottom of said back and from the adjacent channellip.

2. VThe brush strip of claim l deformed into a plurality of closelyadjacent turns spaced Yby said protuberances.

3. In brush strip having an elongated one-*piece channel back and brushmaterial secured therein and protruding therefrom; protuberancesintegral with and projecting outwardly from one channel side only, saidprotuberances being spaced from each Aother longitudinally of said backand spaced both from the bottom of said back and from the adjacentchannel lip.

4. The brush strip of claim 3 deformed into a plurality of closelyadjacent turns spaced by saidprotuberances.

5. In brush strip having an elongated one-.piecechannel back and brushmaterial secured therein and protruding therefrom; ,protuberancesintegral. with and projecting outwardly from one channelV side only.said protuberances being spaced from each other longitudinally vof saidback and also spaced from the adjacent channel lin.

6. In brush strip having lan elongated one-piecechannel back and brushmaterialsecured therein and protruding therefrom; hollow protuberancesintegral with and projecting outwardly from one side only of suchchannel, such'channel having unbroken straight lips, said protuberancesbeing spaced both from the bottom of said back and from the adjacentchannel lip.

7. Turns of brush strip in accordance with claim 6 disposed in closeside-by-side relationship but slightly spaced by said protuberances.

8. In brush strip having an elongated sheet metal channelform back, awire retaining element disposed length- Wise Within such channel, brushmaterial doubled about said wire and protruding from said back, andteeth punched in from one channel side only closely overlying andsecuring said wire; a notch in the underside of each said tooth engagingsaid wire.

9. The brush strip of claim 8, wherein a body of plastic is providedwithin said back embedding said brush material and wire.

10. The brush strip of claim 8, including protuberances projectingoutwardly from the other channel side only.

l1. The brush strip of claim 8, including protuberances projectingoutwardly from the other channel side only, said protuberances beingstaggered relative to said teeth and spaced both from the bottom of saidback and from the adjacent channel lip, and said protuberances havingflat crowns adapted to Contact the sides of adjacent turns of said brushstrip to space them apart.

12. In brush strip having an elongated one-piece channel back and brushmaterial secured therein and protruding therefrom; protuberancesintegral with and projecting outwardly from one channel side only, saidprotuberances being spaced from each other longitudinally of said backand also spaced from the adjacent channel lip, and said protuberanceshaving at crowns adapted to contact the sides of adjacent turns of saidbrush strip to space them apart.

13. In brush strip having an elongated sheet metal channelform back, awire retaining element disposed lengthwise within such channel, brushmaterial doubled about said wire and protruding from said back, andteeth punched in from a channel side closely overlying and securing saidwire; hollow protuberances projecting outwardly from one channel sideonly spaced both from the bottom of said back and from the correspondingchannel lip, said protuberances having at crowns.

14. In brush strip having an elongated sheet metal channelform back, awire retaining element disposed lengthwise within such channel, brushmaterial doubled about said wire and protruding from said back, andteeth punched in from a channel side closely overlying and securing saidwire; hollow protuberances projecting outwardly from one channel sideonly spaced both from the bottom of said back and from the correspondingchannel lip, said protuberances having liat crowns extendingapproximately one-half the Width of the channel side.

15. The brush strip of claim 14, wherein said protuberances are ofgeneral oval shape widthwise of the channel side.

16. The brush strip of claim 14, wherein said pro tuberances are ofgeneral elongated rectangular shape widthwise of the channel side.

17. In brush strip having an elongated sheet metal channelform back, awire retaining element disposed lengthwise within such channel, brushmaterial doubled about sad wire and protruding from said back, teethpunched in from both sides of said channel back evenly staggered fromside to side closely overlying and securing said wire, and flat crownedhollow protuberances projecting outwardly from one channel side only,said lprotuberances being equidistant between apertures left in saidlatter channel side by said teeth punched therefrom.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 955,738Abrahamson Apr. 19, 1910 1,631,998 Carman June 14, 1927 1,817,176 CurtisAug. 4, 1931 1,829,665 Mertes Oct. 27, 1931 2,320,384 Peterson June 1,1943 2,349,644 Wesemeyer May 23, 1944 2,409,309 Peterson Oct. 15, 19462,616,228 Schlegel Nov. 4, 1952 2,626,414 Nelson Jan. 27, 1953 2,821,729Van Clief Feb. 4, 1958 2,826,776 Peterson Mar. 18, 1958

